Biographies - National Cancer Institute
Anna D. Barker, Ph.D.
Deputy Director
National Cancer Institute
Dr. Barker serves as Deputy Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and as Director of NCI’s Advanced Technologies and Strategic Partnerships. In this role, she develops and implements programs in strategic areas of science and technology to strategically accelerate the discovery and translation processes that support the development of interventions to prevent, detect, and treat cancer more effectively. Dr. Barker completed her Ph.D. at the Ohio State University, where she trained in immunology and microbiology. Her research interests include experimental therapeutics, tumor immunology, and free-radical biochemistry in cancer etiology and treatment.
Dr. Barker has a long history in research and the leadership and management of research and development in the academic, nonprofit, and private sectors. She served as a senior executive at Battelle Memorial Institute for 18 years, where she developed and led a large group of scientists and technical staff working in areas such as drug discovery and development, pharmacology, and biotechnology, including several NCI-sponsored research programs.
She co-founded and served as the CEO of a public biotechnology drug development company and a private cancer technology-focused company. She is a member of the Steering Committee of C-Change and served as founding chairperson of the C-Change Cancer Research Team. She served as a founding member of the DOD Breast Cancer Research Program Integration Panel, and as past chairperson of the BCRP Integration Panel. Dr. Barker has served in several capacities for the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), including serving on the Board of Directors and as chairperson of the Public Science Policy and Legislative Affairs Committee; and the NCI, including membership on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the Division of Cancer Etiology and chairperson of the Cancer Center Support Review Study Section. Dr. Barker has received a number of awards for her contributions to research, cancer patients, professional and advocacy organizations, and the ongoing national effort to prevent and cure cancer.
Piotr Grodzinski, Ph.D.
Director
NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer
Dr. Piotr Grodzinski is a Director of Nanotechnology for Cancer programs at Nanotechnology Alliance of National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. He coordinates program and research activities of the Alliance which dedicated $144M over next 5 years to form interdisciplinary centers as well as fund individual research and training programs targeting nanotechnology solutions for improved prevention, detection, and therapy of cancer.
Dr. Grodzinski is materials scientist by training, but like many others found bio- and nanotechnology fascinating. In mid-nineties, he left the world of semiconductor research and built a large microfluidics program at Motorola Corporate R&D in Arizona. The group made important contributions to the development of integrated microfluidics for genetic sample preparation with its work being featured in Highlights of Chemical Engineering News and Nature reviews. After his tenure at Motorola, Dr. Grodzinski joined Bioscience Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory where he served as a Group Leader and an interim Chief Scientist for DOE Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT).
Dr. Grodzinski received Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles in 1992. He is an inventor on 15 patents and authored over 100 technical publications and conference presentations.
Dr. Grodzinski has been an invited speaker and served on the committees of numerous bio- and nano-MEMS conferences in the past years.
Travis M. Earles
Nanotechnology Project Manager
NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer
As part of the National Cancer Institute's advanced technology team, Travis Earles builds and manages biomedical technology development initiatives and partnerships across agencies and sectors to accelerate cancer research and shift the paradigm for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. In 2003, he was recruited from the National Institutes of Health Director's Office of Science Policy to the NCI Director's Office of Technology and Industrial Relations (http://technology.cancer.gov) as NCI was starting to plan comprehensive nanotechnology and proteomics initiatives. Earles was mainly instrumental in planning, coordinating, and implementing the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer (http://nano.cancer.gov), a ground-breaking five-year, $144 million initiative, devising and establishing program structure and providing technical analyses. He led planning and execution of six Cancer Nanotechnology Symposia held across the country to inform the program planning process and to facilitate communications and interdisciplinary team formation, connecting cancer biology, clinical oncology, and the physical sciences. Earles leads the communications, outreach, and training programs of the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer and manages nanotechnology-related partnerships and policy development with the NSF, FDA, and the National Nanotechnology Initiative. He is currently on detail to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as a National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) agency representative.
Before coming to the NIH, Earles gained three years of clinical experience in a teaching and patient treatment setting at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and a master’s in technology management from the University of Maryland, where he will complete an M.B.A. as well in 2007.
Jerry S.H. Lee, Ph.D.
Nanotechnology Project Manager
NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer
Dr. Lee serves as a Nanotechnology Project Manager at the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, which is based in the NCI’s Office of Technology and Industrial Relations (OTIR). In this role, he oversees and assists in the development and assessment of Alliance projects within the Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence and Cancer Nanotechnology Platform Partnerships. He plans to promote cross-Alliance synergies by utilizing his previous experiences of coordinating collaborations between the Naval Research Labs, NCI-Frederick Lab, Johns Hopkins Medical Oncology Division, and the Institute for NanoBio Technology.
Dr. Lee has extensive research experience in using nanotechnology-based approaches in cell and cancer biology. His training includes combining the multidisciplinary approaches of cell biology, molecular biology, and engineering to understand various cellular reactions to external stimuli. Specifically, he has focused on understanding RhoGTPase-mediated nuclear and cellular mechanical responses to fluid flow. He has coauthored several papers and has spoken at various cell biological and biomedical conferences in the past years.
Dr. Lee has a B.S. degree in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and continued as a NASA GSRP fellow to receive his Ph.D. degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering from the same institution.
Scott E. McNeil, Ph.D.
Director, Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory
National Cancer Institute
Dr. McNeil serves as Director, Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory for the National Cancer Institute at Frederick where he coordinates pre-clinical characterization of nanomaterials intended for cancer therapeutics and diagnostics. Prior to joining NCI-Frederick (i.e. SAIC-Frederick), he served for three years as Senior Scientist in the Nanotech Initiatives Division at SAIC where he transitioned basic nanotechnology research to government and commercial markets. He advises Industry and State and US Governments on the development of nanotechnology and is a member of several governmental and industrial working groups related to nanotechnology policy, standardization and commercialization. Dr. McNeil's professional career includes tenure as an Army Officer, with tours as Chief of Biochemistry at Tripler Army Medical Center, as a Combat Arms officer in the Gulf War. He is an invited speaker to numerous nanotechnology-related conferences and has six patents pending related to nanotechnology and biotechnology. He received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Portland State University and his doctorate in cell biology from Oregon Health Sciences University.
Linda K. Molnar, Ph.D.
Nanotechnology Program Officer (NCI/SAIC)
NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer
Dr. Molnar serves as a Program Officer in the Office of Technology and Industrial Relations (OTIR), Office of the Director, National Cancer Institute (NCI). In her role, she supports the management of grants and contracts for nanotechnology applications in cancer research for the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, with particular emphasis on management of the Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (CCNEs). Dr. Molnar has a breadth of experience in collaborations and partnerships between academic institutions, large companies, and biotechnology startups for the successful translation of fundamental research into applications and products. At the NCI, she was instrumental in the successful launch of the Alliance in 2005. Dr. Molnar has also led the formation of a clinical translation working group that comprises extramural investigators from the Alliance as well as internal NCI experts organized to address gaps in the clinical translation of nanotechnologies. In addition, she coordinates a nanobioinformatics working group for the Alliance, which facilitates data sharing both within and among the CCNEs.
Dr. Molnar’s background includes the research and development of nanotechnology in a variety of applications and employments, including the NASA Ames Center for Nanotechnology, Caliper Technologies (now Caliper Life Sciences), and Rohm and Haas Company. At NASA Ames, her research utilizing a biomimetics approach to nanostructured materials development was sponsored through NASA’s Director’s Discretionary Fund as well as receiving significant follow-on funding from the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation. At Caliper, Dr. Molnar was a member of the corporate development team, where she cocreated the Applications Developer Program that enabled other companies, in different fields, to apply Caliper’s microfluidics technology to their unique analytical needs. As a result of her efforts in this program, she led Caliper’s collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, aiding them in the development of novel microfluidics applications for drug development. During Dr. Molnar’s tenure at Rohm and Haas Company, she led the development of applications of polymer nanoparticles in the construction, personal care, and electronics industries in the North American, Asian Pacific, and European regions. Dr. Molnar received her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her B.S. in Chemistry (with honors) from the University of Pittsburgh (magna cum laude). She has also completed the Wharton Management Program. She holds 10 issued patents in the nanotechnology field and has published in leading journals. Dr. Molnar is frequently invited to speak on a range of topics in nanotechnology and nanomedicine from both technical and business perspectives.
Larry A. Nagahara, Ph.D.
Nanotechnology Projects Manager
NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer
Dr. Nagahara is a Nanotechnology Project Manager for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, where he oversees and develops promising diagnostics and therapeutics projects and turns them into applications that will eventually benefit cancer patients.
Dr. Nagahara has been actively involved in nanotechnology for over 15 years, most notably novel scanning probe microscopy development, carbon nanotube applications, molecular electronics, nanoenergy, and nanosensors. Prior to joining NCI, he was a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at Motorola and led the nanosensor effort. He was a member of Motorola’s Scientific Advisory Board (comprising the top 1.5% of Motorola’s technologists), an advisory member of U.S. Army Materiel Command Nanotechnology Executive Roundtable, and an industrial liaison for NSF-NIRT projects, and Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) projects. He is currently an adjunct professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Arizona State University. Dr. Nagahara has published over 80 technical papers, 3 book chapters, and 1 book pending as well as over 15 patents issued/filed in the field of nanotechnology.
Larry Nagahara received his B.S. degree in physics from the University of California, Davis, and a Ph.D. in physics from Arizona State University. He was a post-doctorate fellow at the University of Tokyo, Japan and later joined the Faculty of Engineering as an assistant professor. In 1994, Dr. Nagahara joined Motorola and spent three years at the Joint Research Center for Atom Technology in Tsukuba, Japan, before relocating to Motorola Labs in Arizona.
|
|
Back to Top
